


White Roses

by karovie



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows, Burns, Capture, Darkness, Happy Ending, Hurt Merlin, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Starving, Vanishing, Worried Arthur, arthur knows but merlin does not, headwound, white roses, worried knights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 19:07:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6919498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karovie/pseuds/karovie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While out picking herbs for Gaius, Merlin is ambushed by a man knowing of his magic.<br/>Merlin is taken, and Arthur brings his knights out to search for his friend.<br/>They find the area he was attacked but find no further clues.<br/>that is, until a peasant arrives at the Castle with a message....</p>
            </blockquote>





	White Roses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Castielsbee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castielsbee/gifts).



> I have been waiting for a while to post this. it has been sitting finished on my computer for a long time now, but I had to be patient.  
> You see, this is a birthday gift for the most amazing editor, and friend; Castielsbee.  
> It is inspired by her answer to my question "what would your dream fanfiction be?".  
> I hope I got somewhat close to what you meant :)  
> This also contains illustrations. the first one (with a close up!) is one of my best ever, and most time consuming and hard drawn illustrations  
> that I've done. well. that is MY opinion. no clue what others think!  
> The second one is just a fast sketchy one I did.  
> The birthday present was made into a book, which I will link to in the author's notes at the end.  
> I hope you guys like this :)

Ethan has been watching the King’s interactions for a very long time, trying to find a weak link in the strength of Camelot. The kingdom was surprisingly strong despite the lack of experience on the King’s part. After a while, the man thought he had finally found the weakness in a serving girl. She was a beautiful thing with golden skin and dark brown curls. He had suspected the weakness would be a woman. After all, behind every great man there was an even greater woman, as they said. 

 

Imagine his surprise when he realized he had been utterly and completely wrong. 

 

To be fair, the King  _ did _ have a soft spot for the girl, but not nearly as much as Ethan needed him to have. This had to really get the attention of the man, so much so that it would perhaps even ruin the Kingdom. 

 

No, the real corner stone to the King was his clumsy manservant. 

 

It was not easy to see at first. But after learning the signs, it was incredible how he hadn’t realized it sooner. They hardly ever went anywhere without the other, and seemed to have their own way of communicating just by looks alone.  

 

Then there was the fact that the young man was a sorcerer and the King let him live. Ethan had watched them fight against several attackers, and the boy had used magic. The King had watched him, but there was no calling of guards or locking of chains, and certainly no pyre. However it was as though the sorcerer didn’t know that the King had seen. It looked like the King kept the knowledge secret from his manservant. Which did not make sense at all to Ethan. 

 

After so long watching them, he didn’t understand why there was so much hate towards the King. He didn’t hunt magical people just for their magic, like his father did. He ruled fairly and he was a good King, and a good man. But he needed the money. And this job would get him the money he needed. 

 

He was supposed to find a way to lure the King to him. He could use whatever method he wanted, as long as he got the king to meet him at a certain spot, and if he decided to do a kidnapping and demand money, he would be allowed to keep that money.

 

Then, the day came for him to set his plan into motion.

  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  


It was not often Merlin gathered herbs for Gaius anymore. He had so much work to do between being the manservant to the King, and fighting off magical attacks on Camelot in secret. But Gaius had many people to care for and had begged him to help him out. Arthur had heard of this and as a gift for the old man, he had given Merlin the day off to help him. 

 

Gaius had asked him to do the herb gathering first thing that morning and had handed him a great long list of plants to find. It was a welcome change of tasks really. It was a soothing job to look for the plants out in the forest.

 

Picking up the bag he was to gather the herbs in, and a little bit of food to eat as a lunch, he made his way out of the city. He smiled and waved at the guards as he made his exit.

 

It was a beautiful day, although it was so early the sun had barely even peaked above the horizon yet.

 

Birds were chirping merrily in the trees, the flowers just starting to bloom for the day. It had been raining at some point during the night, and the droplets on the grass shined like a thousand stars in the early morning sun. Merlin took a deep breath, and with a content smile on his face, he bent down to slice off some comfrey with a little knife he kept for herb picking. He put the little flower in his bag, and sliced off several more before moving on to the next plant. 

 

He worked his way, slowly, further into the forest. After working for hours, the sun had slid higher up in the sky, and Merlin’s stomach growled. He decided now was as good a time as any to have his lunch. He pulled out the little bread with a slice of cheese shoved into it, and took a bite. Looking around, he spotted a bush of big snow white roses. He stepped closer and stared at them in awe. Gaius had talked about these. Was it Iceberg roses he called them? They were flowers fit for royals, and to find them in the wild was incredibly rare. He decided he had to bring some with him back home just to have proof of finding it when telling Gaius. Perhaps he’d give them to Gwen just to put that pretty smile on her face. 

 

While still holding his bread with his thumb and forefinger, he held the flower steady with the other fingers, and cut the stem with his free hand. He winced slightly as the thorns pierced his skin. The stem was a sturdy one, and he ended up putting the bread in his mouth to be able to hold the flower better. Getting it off, he decided to bring a few more of them with him, and cut off some more, before carefully laying them in the bag with the other plants. 

 

Smiling around his bread, he reached up to grab it while biting off a chunk. He took hold of the bag, straightened and turned around to go in search for the last herb on the list when he felt a sharp pain to his temple and stumbled at the force of something crashing into his head. 

 

In that confused moment, he lost hold of his lunch as well as the herb bag and it took him a moment to realize what had happened. He stood slightly unbalanced on his feet cradling his head, and looked up to see surprise on the unfamiliar face before him. Then, the man charged at him again. Merlin reacted more slowly than normal, and was just about to throw out a spell at the man when he felt something cold close around one of his hands. It was as if his whole body was drenched in icy water and he looked down to find cold iron around his wrist. Fear ran through him at the realisation that he was cut off from his magic, and the possibility that this stranger knew he was of magic. The warlock grit his teeth and fought against the man with all his might. He wasn’t the weakling everyone thought he was, no matter if he had his magic or not. He was maybe thin, but his muscles were strong enough to put up a real fight. He shot out his elbow, hitting the man in the chest and gained somewhat of an advantage over the other man as he lost his breath for a moment. His attacker was, however, much bigger than him, and could probably put up a good fight against Percival. The man recovered all too soon. Merlin tried to jump onto him to overbalance him, but it was no use. The man used the same sly elbow to the chest trick, and Merlin cried out as a loud snap was heard on impact. His breath left him with that cry, but he would still not give up the fight. The man then used his bodyweight to push Merlin backwards. They both fell down into the bush of roses, scattering petals all over the place. The warlock felt the thorns of the roses scrape against his skin as he struggled against the older man on top of him. They wrestled for a bit until the man managed to sit up, straddling the servant. Apparently he had gotten hold of a stone in their scramble because the next thing Merlin knew, he saw the hand fly towards him. A strangled cry left him at the searing pain that erupted through his head before unconsciousness dragged him down. 

 

 

The man sat with the stone in his hand, panting, looking at the face of the King’s manservant. Even without his magic, he had managed to put up quite the fight. After a few moments to catch his breath, he placed the last cuff on the boy’s other wrist. Then as his deed caught up to him, he feared he had killed the boy with such a vicious hit to the head, and he put two fingers to the pulse point beneath his jaw. He sighed in relief as he found what he was looking for. There was no point in killing the young man. That way he would likely not get the King’s money. 

 

Ethan pulled the other man up as he rose, and hefted him up on his shoulders, carrying him off to his horse. Draping the boy over the back of the horse, behind the saddle, Ethan strapped him down properly before mounting the strong animal himself. Kicking the horse’s sides, he signaled for it to move forward. Soon they were on their way to ruins of the castle he had found perfect to hold the boy while waiting for the King to bring the money. 

  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  
  


At first, Gaius was a bit annoyed at Merlin for using this day as an excuse to be lazy. The list he had given him should really not be taking so long to gather. Then, he started to worry. The young man had been genuinely happy to get a day off from the King to help his old mentor. He had promised to hurry so he could help Gaius with other things that needed to be done throughout the day. It had been several hours since he’d expected Merlin to be back. That nagging feeling that something was very wrong kept eating at him while he worked on his patients and within two hours he made his way to the King’s chambers.

 

Arthur had just gotten back from a council meeting and was sitting down for a bit of cold meat and fruit when Gaius came knocking. He was surprised to see the old man, considering the overload of work he had at the time. Arthur hurriedly offered the man a chair, and let Gaius know he had all of his attention. It had to be something important for the man to come to him now. 

 

“Have you seen Merlin, sire?” 

 

Arthur blinked in confusion. He had given Merlin the day off to help the old physician. Surely he hadn’t decided to run off on him!

 

“Merlin? Shouldn’t he be with you?” 

 

Gaius’ calm demeanor crumpled slightly, and the worry was clearly visible now.

 

“The last I saw of him, he left my chambers to pick the herbs I needed. He never returned. I fear something must have happened,” 

 

Arthur felt an icy shiver run down his spine at those words. No. Merlin was more than capable of defending himself. He should have no problem fighting off whoever decided to make him their target. But what if it had been a sorcerer? What if someone managed to sneak up on him? He abruptly stood and made for the door where he caught sight of one of the guards. He had the man run to the gates to see if Merlin ever entered the city again after he left that morning. 

 

Gaius had to leave to continue his work. Arthur promised he would come straight to him with answers once he got them. After watching the physician go, he called a servant to him and ordered her to find Gwen and bring her to him.

 

Guinevere, efficient as she was, arrived just a few moments later. 

 

“Arthur?” she knocked on the open door as she entered. 

 

“Guinevere, I need you to attend me for a while, and then I need you to help Gaius with whatever he needs,” Arthur said as he stood by the window looking out on the courtyard. He could see the guard jogging back to the castle, and he feared he already knew the answer. 

 

“Of course, Sire,” She curtsied. She’d heard the authoritative tone in his voice and automatically went straight to servant mode. Arthur ordered her to begin packing for a patrol, and Gwen felt fear rise up in her. She knew Merlin was supposed to help Gaius today, and the fact that she had been ordered to help the King pack for a patrol, and then to help Gaius… That had to mean something was wrong with Merlin. Arthur didn’t often go on patrols himself anymore considering he was King and had other duties to attend to. She got her answers when a guard came through the King’s doors.

 

“Sire. Merlin never returned from the woods according to the front gate,”

 

Arthur massaged the bridge of his nose with one hand and sighed. “Gather the knights,” he ordered the guard, and then turned to Gwen once the man left. “Bring my pack down and have the stablehands ready the horses. We’re going to look for him. I’ll inform Gaius,” He left after seeing her nod. 

 

Gaius was in his chambers changing the bandages on a man who had ended up tearing his leg on a protruding nail in one of the old houses. He was just finishing up when Arthur arrived. His face fell as he looked up into Arthur’s eyes. 

 

“He never came back. We’re riding out now to look for him. He might have stumbled and hurt himself or something,” Arthur told him offhandedly, trying to seem confident. He knew Gaius saw through it, but the old man didn’t comment. Gaius nodded with a sorrowful sigh. “I’m sending Gwen to assist you,” Arthur added, and awkwardly left the old physician. He knew how much Merlin meant to the old man, and it was always hard for him to see Gaius worry about the boy. Merlin had better be alright when they found him. 

  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


It wasn’t hard to find where the boy had walked to find the herbs for Gaius. Arthur, Lancelot and Gwaine got off their horses and followed the tracks. Leon had been against his King going out to look for his servant, and had offered to take the men out himself. Arthur had refused, and Leon knew not to argue. Instead, he, Percival and Elyan had stayed behind to watch over Camelot as Arthur’s most trusted knights among the force. 

 

Arthur took up the lead, Lancelot taking hold of his horse’s reins so the King could properly concentrate on the tracks. The sun was nearing the horizon when they found an area where the servant had been bumbling all over, picking all kinds of plants. Arthur straightened and looked around. They spread out over the big expanse of herb filled forest floor. Lancelot went out to one side, Gwaine the other, and Arthur went straight forward. Merlin had certainly been busy plucking the herbs judging by all the cut plants they found. Then, Lancelot called for them, and they both hurried over to the knight. 

 

The sight that met them was disheartening. First, there was the bag of herbs dropped to the ground, the plants spilling out of it. Then, there was the half eaten bread. Worst of it all was the signs of struggle on the ground. Grass and dirt kicked up here and there, and then there was the broken bush of roses. It was clear that someone had fallen into it. Arthur’s eyes narrowed, and he walked closer to the bush. As he kneeled in front of it, he saw the blood spatter across the pristine white petals of some of the flowers. He felt his stomach drop at the sight of it.

 

“Sire,” Gwaine’s voice was hard as he uttered the word. For once, he sounded serious. He was never serious, unless something really pissed him off. Arthur looked over to see a stone held in his hand. It was covered in blood, and a few short hairs were stuck in it. Arthur looked closer and even though he had already known, his heart sank as he saw they were Merlin’s color. He clenched his jaw, a muscle jumping at the force of it. He rose to his feet and looked around for any clues as to where his servant could be. 

 

Lancelot silently moved to gather the plants together and carefully pushed them back inside the bag as he stood. The list of herbs fell from the bag, and the knight bent down to pick it up. The boy had crossed out every name with a piece of charcoal, except for one. He looked around and saw a cluster of the plant not too far from the roses. He figured he could at least bring everything back to Gaius so that Merlin’s work that morning hadn’t been for nothing. He went over to the plants and gently took hold of them and cut them from their roots. He made sure to gather plenty of it, and when he was satisfied, he tied the bag securely to his horse and followed Arthur and Gwaine.

 

They found hoof tracks not far from the rosebush, and made to follow them. Gwaine and Arthur took the lead, while Lancelot led the horses. 

 

Merlin must have been ambushed for him to be taken like that. Had he known he was watched or someone tried attacking him head on, Lancelot knew the boy would not hesitate to fight back, especially if there was a chance that the Prince would be in danger. Which he generally was without Merlin there to keep him safe. The knight worried about his friend, and what force the culprit would have had to use just to take the young man.

 

He was abruptly ripped from his thoughts at the angered shout from ahead of him. He looked up to see Gwaine punch a tree, while Arthur attacked a bush with his sword. The trail was lost. He sighed sadly and looked up through the canopy to see that the sun was soon to set. 

 

“Sire, we should return to Camelot,” Lancelot suggested calmly, with a sad tone to his voice. 

 

Arthur turned on him and was about to let his anger out on him, but stopped himself as he saw the sadness and worry in the knight’s face. 

 

“You’re right. Gwaine, we’re going back to regroup,” he let out with authority strong in his tone. He looked around once more before mounting his horse and setting a fast pace back to the city. They would find Merlin. They would find him alive. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  


The first thing he was aware of, was the crippling nausea that threatened to destroy him. He tried breathing deeply in the hopes of calming it, but that sent searing pain through his whole body. He ended up on his side, retching up whatever he had in his stomach. The cramping of his muscles certainly didn’t help with the pain, and he found himself close to fainting from it all. He dared to take small careful breaths in the hope of staying conscious long enough to find out where he was. 

 

He held himself still for a long time, until the pain got bearable enough. Then, he slowly opened his eyes a little bit. 

 

Nothing. 

 

His heart rate picked up as he feared he had gone blind. It was pitch black around him, no shapes for him to make out. He tried carefully lifting a hand up to his eyes, but he couldn’t even see that. His heart beat fast and scared in his chest. How was he going to protect Arthur if he was blind?! 

 

His arm shook, and he realized from the sound that he was chained. Tugging experimentally, he found there to be chains going back to a wall behind him where they presumably went through a ring and back to his other arm. 

 

Slowly, he sat up. The nausea hit him hard once again, and he sat still long enough to calm it. Then, he gently pushed himself backwards a bit to lean against the wall.  There, he sat breathing, attempting to get a hold of himself. He let his hand move a little on the ground beside him, and jumped as he brushed against something soft. He hesitated, before he moved his hand closer so see if he could reach whatever he’d touched. His fingers curled around something that felt like leather, and as he tightened his hold, he felt it give. A water skin. That meant his captor wanted him alive, but it could also mean said man would not return for a while. He would have to ration it then. He moved the skin over, and reached out again to see if there could be something else for him there. His fingers brushed against something new. This time he didn’t hesitate in grabbing onto it. Pulling it closer, he inspected it with both hands. Then, he brought it to his face and smelled it. Could it be bread perhaps? It certainly wasn’t fresh, but it was better than no food at all. He lay it in his lap as his stomach acted up at the smell. He would not be eating any time soon. 

 

Sighing, he rested his head against the wall behind him and listened. At first there was no other sounds than his own breathing. That was until he heard the scraping of tiny claws and realized there were rats somewhere close by. Great. He was going to be eaten by rats.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  
  


Two days had passed since the King had come back empty handed from the search for his manservant. He had immediately sent out a group of men to search further, even though it had gotten dark. No man with any self preservation skills would ever speak against him when it came to his manservant. Some had tried, and all regretted it. Gods forbid someone tried to discipline the servant. The last man that had tried something like that had ended up stripped of his title and thrown out of the city. That was just because Merlin had insisted the King had been too harsh in his decision.

 

No one had found anything besides the trail the King had already followed. 

 

Arthur tried his best to do his duties, but he found himself distracted too much to be properly efficient. 

 

He couldn’t even eat without getting distracted, as was the case at that moment. He was dragged out of his thoughts by a frantic knock at the door. 

 

“Enter,” he called as he popped a grape into his mouth just to try look like he was eating like he should. A boy, that was no doubt in training to become a proper messenger, burst in through the door. He heaved for breath as he bowed to the King. 

 

“Sire! A man arrived with an important message for you!” he blurted out and heaved for a breath again. “He’s waiting in the great hall as we speak,” he added when he caught his breath again.

 

Arthur wiped his hands with the napkin, and rose to follow the lad. He desperately hoped it wasn’t a message of more trouble. 

 

He froze as he entered the hall and caught sight of the young man waiting for him. He looked to be a farmer’s boy, and he held a very familiar red cloth in his hands.

 

Arthur stalked over to the wide eyed man and reached for the cloth in his hands.

 

“Where did you find this?” He asked sharply as he caressed the cloth, looking for any sings as to what had happened to his friend. The boy swallowed as he stared at the floor, not daring to look at his King.

 

“I… A man gave it to me… He said I needed to deliver a message for you…” the young man trailed off. 

 

“Well? Out with it!” Arthur urged him. He felt desperate.

 

“He said… He said he has your friend… And to meet him alone with a sack of gold at midday tomorrow… out by the big old oak near the river… Or… Or your friend will be sent to you in small pieces…” The young man looked sick at the thought, and Arthur did not doubt he had heard a much more detailed description than he had brought to the King. 

 

“What did he look like?” His tone was urgent, but softer, trying not to scare the young man too much.

 

“He was a bit old. A big man, about the size of that knight over there,” he gestured towards Percival. “He was dirty… matted blond hair with white patches… facial hair, and skin darkened by work in the open sun,” He fidgeted in place after answering his King’s question. 

 

“Well done, lad. You,” Arthur pointed at the closest knight. “Bring this man some coin and food for his troubles,” He turned to Leon who had already been in the hall when Arthur arrived. “Gather the knights,” he ordered.

  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  


“You’re not going alone,” Gwaine burst out after the King had explained the situation. 

 

“I am. But you will not be far behind,” Arthur returned, holding up a hand to prevent the knight from arguing. “We do not know what this man is capable of, and I will not be putting Merlin in further danger by not going alone. I will be riding out first, meeting this man alone, but you will be close behind, ready, should there be an ambush which I believe to be very likely,” 

 

Gwaine kept his mouth shut. He knew that was the best thing they could do, but he wanted his friend back, and he wanted a piece of the shitbag that took him. He knew the others wanted the same, and that was the only reason he didn’t plan on going against his King’s orders. 

 

“We will be ready to ride out after you, sire,” Leon agreed. 

 

They discussed their plans further. Arthur took them off their planned duties so they could get some rest before riding out the next day. 

 

Arthur was anxious. He was terrified the man was lying and had already killed Merlin. The Gods knew Merlin would not voluntarily go with the man. Had he been dead already before Arthur knew he was missing? No. He couldn’t think like that. He needed to get some sleep if he was going to do any good for his friend.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  
  
  


There was so little water left, that Merlin feared he would die of thirst. Or maybe the rats would get to him first. He had already chased them off a few times as they tried to get to his food. The last time they tried, they’d succeeded. He’d had about half of the bread left, and they stole it straight out from his hands after biting him to have him release it. His finger still throbbed from the bite. He just hoped if he survived this, that he didn’t get any diseases from those pests. But maybe the loss of his magic would kill him first. He was so weak, and he could feel his life draining from him with every passing second. That’s what one gets for being born from magic. Being cut off from it like he was, would literally kill him. 

 

Merlin tried his best to save the remaining water for a later time, but his mouth and throat was so dry it was painful. 

 

Hands shaking, he lifted the skin to his mouth and let a few drops slide down his throat. He guessed there was just about a mouthful left as he put it down. 

 

He had no clue as to how long he’d been in this darkness. With his eyes useless, his hearing had heightened. Or it seemed like it had at least. He heard the pitter patter of rats scurrying across the stone. Even their breathing at times. He heard insects crawling everywhere. 

 

But even as he knew they were there, he still jumped every time something came in contact with him. 

 

He was slumped against the stone wall in his exhaustion, but he had to move. It was horribly painful to sit like that. It would be much better if he lied down. Clenching his jaw, he tried to move himself. It brought spikes of pain to shoot through his body, and all it did was make him slide somewhat sideways in his position. His breathing hitched at the pain, and he tried to right himself without success. 

 

He dearly hoped that Arthur would not be the one to find him if he died.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  
  
  


Arthur’s heart throbbed fast in his chest as he got closer to the meeting spot. He could see the man standing there waiting for him, but there was no Merlin in sight. 

 

The man stepped closer to him as the King drew his horse to a halt. 

 

“Where is he?”  Arthur uttered coldly. 

 

“Money first,” 

 

Arthur stared at him for a while, before relenting. The fastest way to get the man to talk was to give him the money. He reached back and pulled a sack of gold out from one of the saddlebags, and tossed it to the man, who almost overbalanced at the force of it. 

 

The man opened the bag and looked into it, before fastening it to his horse and mounting. 

 

“I’ll take you to him,” 

 

Arthur did not trust this man in the slightest. He’d brought a pouch filled with small stones with him, so that in case he would have to travel far before his knights caught up, they would have a trail to follow.

 

He let one of the stones fall to the ground as he followed the man, to mark the beginning of the trail. He was pretty sure there would be an ambush somewhere along their path. 

 

They traveled for about half an hour until they came to the edge of a forest. 

 

Just as Arthur thought, there was an ambush waiting. What surprised him, was the fact that the man he’d followed there was attacked as well. The man yelled as he fell off his horse and was restrained by burly looking mercenaries. Arthur was surprised the big man was held down so easily, but it probably had a lot to do with the sorcery involved. Just as he thought this, he too was thrown off his horse, and held to the ground by an invisible force.

 

The King looked to his sister, who stepped out from the cover of the trees, with a manic grin on her face. He was not the least bit surprised at her involvement.

 

“Seems like Ethan did his job well!” She boasted. “Too bad I can’t have him running back to free your servant, now can I,” she smiled sweetly at the man she’d called Ethan.

 

“Please, I did as you wished, I only want to go back to my family!” There was desperation and fear in the man’s voice as he’d realized what the witch would do. 

 

“Yes, and you shall now join them,” she spat as she unsheathed her sword, and plunged it into the man’s chest.

 

“No!” Arthur shouted as the only lead to Merlin’s whereabouts bled out in front of him. 

 

“Now, dear brother. It is time we ended this little game, is it not?” The overly sweet smile was back on her face.  She strolled over to him, standing over him with a self satisfied expression on her face. “Nothing brings me more joy than to know your servant is dying a slow death all alone somewhere, while I finally get to take what is rightfully mine,” 

 

Arthur stared up at her, his heart racing in his chest. He was so used to Merlin’s protection in situations like these, and now the boy was held captive somewhere unknown. Despite the circumstance he was in, he silently snickered at the thought of his servant on Morgana’s bad side. He must obviously have caused her much grievance in the past for her to wish a slow death upon her former friend. 

 

He didn’t realize that his amusement must have shown on his face until Morgana’s expression turned stormy. She growled and reached her hand out towards the dead man, where her sword still stood buried in his chest. The sword flew up and into her hand at the yellow glow of her eyes. 

 

That was a detail that surprised him. Whenever Merlin did magic, his eyes flashed like warm molten gold, but Morgana’s was a cold yellow. Then, the dripping sword came into his vision and he realized now was really not the time to think about details like that. 

 

“Farewell brother,” she spat as she raised her sword over him. He was stuck watching the sword descend on him as her magic held him still. 

 

A bolt imbedded itself in her shoulder, forcing a pained yell from her as she stumbled backwards. Her sword pierced the ground beside him sliding against his chainmail with a metallic screech. 

 

Arthur could finally move again. He rolled over, grabbed her sword and sliced at her as he got back to his feet. He caught her in the arm and she shrieked and shot him a venomous stare. 

 

Her eyes flashed yellow once again, and he was thrown backwards, hitting the trunk of a tree hard. His breath left him, and his vision swam. He closed his eyes in an attempt to gather himself.

 

Dazedly, he looked up as a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Leon stood over him with a worried expression. 

 

“Are you alright?” he asked as he helped Arthur to his feet. He looked around to see his knights standing over the dead mercenaries Morgana had employed, but his sister was nowhere in sight. 

 

“Where did  she go?” Arthur asked instead. 

 

“She vanished by the use of her magic. She was bleeding extensively, so I’m presuming she fled to heal herself,” Leon stated.

 

Arthur hummed and looked over at the crumpled form of the man who had taken his servant. He felt anger and hopelessness well up in him. He had not gotten any hints as to where Merlin could be. How were they supposed to find him, when every search had been fruitless?

 

He stepped over, kneeling by the man to make sure he was actually dead. 

 

To his great surprise, the man’s eyes fluttered open as he was touched. They barely opened a crack, and the King knew the man only had moments left. 

 

“Ru….n….” The man let out with his last breath. Arthur frowned at the word as the man died. There was no use trying to get anything more from him, he knew that. But the desire to find his servant burned hot in him and he just barely managed to keep from screaming at the dead man in front of him. 

 

“Did you get any clue as to where he is?” Gwaine’s voice was hard as he came up behind him. 

 

Arthur’s head fell, and his hands curled into hard fists. Shaking his head, he heard the other man growl out loud. The king rose to his feet, and looked in the direction they had been traveling towards. They had gone a straight line as far as it was possible, and he could only hope that the man had actually lead him the right way. 

 

“Let’s keep going. See if we can find anything,” he said to his men as he walked to Ethan’s horse, taking it’s reins and tying it to his own beast. 

 

The men silently mounted, and followed their King. They all kept their eyes peeled for any hint, or possible threat. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  


They had been traveling for several hours before Arthur ordered them to take a break. 

 

It was about four days since Merlin’s disappearance now. The King sat down on a rock, massaging the bridge of his nose as he thought about it. He ran all the clues through his head, desperately trying to find something new that he had missed. The last word of the kidnapper kept echoing in his head. Why had the man told him to run? It had made no sense at all. He looked up at Gwaine’s frustrated yell and found the man to have been ransacking the saddle of Ethan’s horse.

 

“There’s nothing here!” The man even went as far as to pull at his hair. Arthur would have found it amusing, had he not been in such a bad temper himself. “Nothing but dust,” Gwaine groaned.

 

That, for some reason, caught Arthur’s attention. Dust. Run. Could the man have been trying to tell him where Merlin was after all? Could he have meant ‘ruin’? He wracked his brain trying to remember if there were any ruins close by. Why had he not thought of that before? Ruins were often perfect places to keep someone captive. There were enough of them around after all. 

 

Arthur abruptly got to his feet and started pacing. He knew of four ruins close by, and he thought about splitting up to search them, but decided against it. They didn’t know if there were anyone guarding Merlin, and they couldn’t risk being outnumbered and unable to call for backup.

 

“The ruins,” he said aloud. “We need to search the ruins,” He looked up to see the others staring at him.

 

“The closest one is still hours away. We won’t reach it by nightfall,” Lancelot piped up. 

 

“You’re right, but I say we get as far as we can until then,” Elyan added. The others agreed. It didn’t take long until they were on their horses again, making haste towards the first ruin. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  


It was so cold. As if to demonstrate his own thoughts, a shiver ran through his body. Merlin had managed to glide himself down, so he was laying on the floor now instead of sitting up. His throat was dry, his body in pain, his energy gone. And he was so damn cold. He heard the rats patter over the stone and occasionally running over to him, tugging at his clothing or even climb onto him to see if they could have a feast yet. He didn’t manage to move much, but the pests scurried off when they realized he was still breathing. The last of his water was gone, and the chains were too heavy to lift by now. His consciousness was drifting. He guessed he didn’t have  much time left, and he once again prayed that Arthur would not be the one to find his rat devoured body.   
  
Fear spiked in his body as he heard a loud rumble, the floor shaking with it’s force. Was the place going to fall down upon him now? He knew he was going to die, but being crushed by heavy stone did not sound pleasant. Not that any of the other ways he would likely die were any better. 

 

Then, the rumbling stopped and he sighed in relief as he realized it had been some other part of the place he was being held that had caved in. It did however mean that it could happen any time where he was as well. 

 

As Merlin calmed his panicked heart, his exhaustion got the better of him, and he ended up falling asleep.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


The first ruin was a bust. They had looked in every possible place and even searched for hidden rooms, but there was no sign of their friend. They had taken off at first light, and it was already afternoon as they finished their search of the first ruin. 

 

Arthur was calculating how much time they would be needing to search the last three ruins, and concluded that they’d only manage to search the second one before nightfall, and that hopefully they’d get through the last two the day after. 

 

The knights were agitated, but they still held up hope of finding their friend. 

 

Halfway through the day, they stopped to eat. They would do Merlin no good if they didn’t keep their strengths up. 

 

Gwaine tried to persuade Arthur into splitting up, but Arthur shot him down, explaining why that was a bad idea. 

 

The next ruin was of a castle, and it was fairly intact considering it was a ruin. There were several floors to be searched, several rooms to hide someone in. To search the place faster, Arthur agreed on splitting up. Sending Gwaine and Lancelot to search the upper floors, Elyan and Percival took the ground floors, Arthur and Leon went in pursuit of a way down to the dungeons. In their search for the stairs, they happened upon a part of the castle that had crumbled fairly recently. 

 

“This place could collapse at any moment,” Leon commented as they passed the newly fallen stonework. Arthur just swallowed, trying not to think about how Merlin could lay underneath those stones. 

 

Then, they found the stairs leading to the cellars. Walking down them, they saw there was not much left to be searched. Evidently, this Castle had not been designed like Camelot, with huge cellars to keep prisoners and food and the like in. This place had just a fairly intact storeroom, and what looked to have been more of the like further down, but they had collapsed long ago. 

 

“This shit ain’t as strong as it looked from the outside, mate. Half the castle’s collapsed already,” Gwaine commented as they met by the doorway into the castle. “Let’s get out before it falls down on us, yeah?” Somberly, the others nodded and they found their horses in silence.

 

The extra horse, still tied to Arthur’s own, seemed full of spirit as they came back. She tried to move towards a small path off to the side of the castle, but could get nowhere. 

 

The King narrowed his eyes at the beast.

 

“Sire, this may be the best place to set up camp for the night,” Lancelot piped up, distracting Arthur from the horse. The King looked up at the sky, noting it was getting darker already. He sighed, but agreed. The men scattered to find wood and food, and tending to the horses. 

 

Meanwhile, Arthur felt nature’s call, and subconsciously followed the path the other horse had wanted to go down. As he got far enough away from the other men, he relieved himself behind a tree. 

 

As he was on his way back, he saw a print in the dirt. He stopped to look at it for a moment. It looked like it was a few days old, and the person must have been very heavy to have made such an imprint.

 

Or perhaps been carrying someone. 

 

Arthur immediately turned back to where he’d come from, following the path. There were only a few prints here and there, and after a while, he happened upon a cave entrance hidden behind vegetation. He snuck inside to find it was some sort of prison. 

 

Most of the doors were either gone, or broken down, except for a few. 

 

He looked into the cells, seeing nothing but empty stone rooms.

 

Walking over to the intact doors, he pushed them open. He felt the tiny hope he’d gotten from discovering this place fade away as every room he checked was empty.

 

The last door was closed properly, and resisted his attempt to open it at first. Then, it groaned open.

 

Arthur almost didn’t see it. 

 

Almost. 

 

The room was much darker than the others, but the slight light from outside flowed into it, giving him a chance to make out a shape. 

 

Then he heard a slight clink of metal and a quiet gasp. 

 

He sweared his heart stopped in that moment. He took a step into the cell, seeing there was something, or rather someone, laying on the floor by the farthest wall. Realizing he was casting a shadow himself as he was standing in the way of the only source of light, he moved to the side.

 

He gasped at what he saw. There, in the dim light from the doorway, lay two very familiar looking booted feet.  

 

“Merlin…?” He breathed, frozen in place for a moment. 

 

There was a bit more clinking of metal, but other than that, there was no more response. 

 

Arthur finally found his feet again, and rushed to the younger man’s side. His friend’s breathing was deep and fast, while the rest of him was completely limp. 

 

“Merlin!” Arthur let out and reached over to touch his shoulder. He felt the man flinch, but it was very weak. He felt the fear rise again as he realized Merlin was still in danger. 

 

He searched around in the dim light, until he found his friend had been chained to the wall by his wrists. The chain was long, so he was able to lay on the floor without any problem, but he really needed to get that chain off and get him out of there.

 

The King reached into his boot, pulling out a thin dagger. He found the padlock securing Merlin’s wrist to the chain, and hoped he would be able to pick it. Stuffing the tip of the dagger into the keyhole, he started rooting around, trying to catch onto the lock mechanism. After struggling with it for a while, he heard a satisfying click, and found the lock to be loose. He janked it off and took Merlin’s other hand to see if there was another padlock. Merlin’s hand was horribly slack as he lifted it to get to the lock. He made fast work of it, and his friend was free from the chains.

 

He was about to lift the other man, but remembered he’d most likely been in this dark hole for the whole time he’d been gone, which meant that the light outside had the potential to hurt him. 

 

He reached down to the hem of his undershirt, and tore a generous amount off of it. Then, he gently wrapped it around Merlin’s head, covering his eyes with it, and tied it in place. 

 

It was disheartening that Merlin didn’t react much to any of his ministrations. There was the occasional flinch or a hitch of his breath, but other than that, he was lifeless.

 

He then took a firm grip on the boy’s arms and dragged him up on his shoulders. 

 

A weak whimper was the only reaction he got. Well. At least he was still alive. And he was going to keep it that way.

 

Coming out of the cave, he heard the others calling for him. He had a good guess that they wouldn’t mind his disappearance when they saw who he’d found.

 

“Arth-!” Gwaine almost choked on the name as he saw the King walking in a fast pace towards them, carrying someone very familiar on his shoulders. “YOU FOUND HIM!” He shouted in disbelief. 

 

The others came running, but skidded to a halt as they recognized the figure on Arthur’s shoulders. 

 

Lancelot jumped into motion, throwing down his blankets by the fire they were building, indicating that Arthur put Merlin down in that spot. Percival shot forward, helping Arthur gently lowering the younger man onto the blankets. 

 

“Why is he blindfolded?” Percival inquired.

 

“He’s been in a complete darkness since he was taken. The light will hurt his eyes,” Arthur replied softly as he looked over his friend properly. 

 

His head had a nasty wound on the side, likely from Ethan hitting him with the bloody stone they’d found. In addition to that, he had bruises and scratches and… was that bitemarks? Arthur looked closer and found it looked like bites from a rodent, likely rats. They were littered all over him. Some were deep, others were barely there. His skin was stretched thin, his lips chapped and sore. The King reached out, and gently felt along Merlin’s torso, and found a spot that seemed strange. He loosened his friend’s tunic from his belt and pushed it up to reveal bad bruising along his ribs on the same side as the head wound. And he was cold. Too damn cold. 

 

Leon presented a waterskin, and the King lifted his friend’s head up a bit to let the other knight pour a few drops of water into their friend’s mouth. 

 

At first, there was no reaction, the water only sliding down his chin, but then the moisture seemed to register on the boy’s mind, as he darted a tongue out after it. Leon let him have some more, before he removed the skin. They could not give him too much all at once, or else it might do more harm than good. 

 

A broken whimper left the boy as the water was removed from his reach. 

 

Lancelot had found bandages in his pack, and motioned for Arthur to hold Merlin up, as he bound the boy’s chest. Gwaine wordlessly sat down with a wet rag in his hand and started cleaning the head wound gently, once Lancelot had moved away. Elyan wrapped his blanket around the cold young man, while Arthur stayed put by his side, holding on to his best friend. 

 

The others went back to setting up camp properly, while Arthur and Gwaine was left to care for the servant. 

 

Gwaine finished washing Merlin’s wound. Percival had found a pre made herbal remedy for emergencies that Gaius had sent with them, and they carefully dressed the head wound. 

 

Then, Arthur sat alone with his friend, while the others made supper and cared for the horses, and all other duties they could perform. They never took their eyes away from the servant for a long period of time, always glancing over as if to make sure it was not an illusion. 

 

It had been so surreal. They’d been searching what felt like everywhere, and had not had too much hope as they searched the ruins. Then, just by chance, Arthur found a hidden cell containing the person they’ve been searching for. They felt ill at the thought that they had been prepared to rest for the night and then go on in the morning, leaving Merlin behind without any of them realizing what they had done. 

 

Arthur seemed to have closed off. Fallen into his own world, where nothing other than Merlin existed. They’d known how much Arthur cared for the boy of course, but he had always tried to hide it if he could. But now he was blatantly staring at his friend. Holding him and refusing to let go. Stroking his fingers in a comforting pattern against his arms, sometimes moving up to brush the servant’s hair away from his forehead. 

 

Merlin on the other hand seemed to be completely lethargic, with the exception of a flinch here and there. 

 

After eating supper, Lancelot decided to go over to his friend again. Arthur had gotten a fairly long time alone with him, and now Lancelot felt the need to see for himself that his friend was alright. 

 

He looked properly at the boy lying with his head in the King’s lap. He looked horrible. 

 

Then his eyes caught something silvery. 

 

He stepped closer to have a proper look, and to his horror could see the cold iron cuffs still in place around his wrists. They were loose. It was easy to take them off. Yet they still remained around Merlin’s wrists. 

 

He fell to his knees by the boy, taking his arm in his hands and removing the first cuff. It caught Arthur’s attention, and Lancelot could see his eyes widen in shock and guilt as he saw the cuffs. 

Then, the other one was removed. He looked at his friend, trying to see if it helped his situation at all. 

 

Merlin suddenly tensed and gasped in a long breath of air as if he hadn’t been able to breathe for days. He lay there with his mouth open in a prolonged gasp, and they were pretty sure his eyes were wide underneath the blindfold. Then, as suddenly as it had started, he went limp again. 

 

They all stared at him. They all wondered what the hell that was about. Even Lancelot and Arthur couldn’t figure it out. They knew about his magic. They knew how cold iron cut off a sorcerer’s access to magic. It would prevent them from using magic to escape when in captivity. What they did not know, was the fact that Merlin was born of magic. That he  _ was  _ magic. They didn’t know how serious it could get for him if he was cut off from his magic. They didn’t know he could die from it. That’s why they were so surprised at his reaction as the iron was removed. 

 

Lancelot picked up Merlin’s arm to have a look at his wrists, and a cold shiver ran down is and Arthur’s spines at how lax that hand was as it was lifted. The knight pushed his sleeves up and sucked in a breath at the wounds underneath. 

 

It looked as though the cuffs had been burning him. His wrist was red and blistery, consistent with bad burns, but his veins were dark underneath his skin as though he had been poisoned through the iron.

 

Arthur hurriedly, but gently, lifted the other hand to pull back the sleeves. It looked just as horrible. 

 

The King felt like puking. They had rescued him, but had still managed to overlook such torture. No.  _ He _ had overlooked it. He’d checked his friend over, but he hadn’t even realized he’d forgotten to actually remove the cuffs. He had contributed to his friend’s torture. 

 

As the King wallowed in his guilt, Lancelot had roped the others into helping him care for Merlin’s hurt wrists. There wasn’t much they could do until they got back to Gaius, but they were going to do whatever they could. 

 

Then, the knight touched his King’s shoulder, shaking him slightly until he got his attention.

 

“You’re not to blame for this. You could not know. No one could,” he stated firmly. Calm resolution in his eyes. He knew his King would disagree. That he would still blame himself. But at least he was not going to think that his knights agreed with him. 

 

Leon stepped in to make sure his King ate, and then handed him a very thin broth he could try feed his servant to get some nourishment into him.

 

They all watched as the King decided Merlin needed the nourishment no matter how unconscious he was, and trickled the liquid carefully into his mouth, and massaged his throat to make him swallow. 

 

To others it was unheard of that a King care for his servant like Arthur did for Merlin. However, the people of Camelot loved their King for his untraditional ways. They felt loved by their ruler, knowing he refused to let any harm come to them if he could help it. Knowing he would help care for them if so needed. But they had never seen him like this. Only his closest, most trusted knights and friends got to see this side of him. He cared so deeply for his servant, that he would subconsciously create a bubble around them. Not realizing others could see them. 

 

His knights would never speak of this to anyone. This right here was one of the many reasons they were so loyal. They were treated like equals. They’d been knighted even though they were just commoners. Well, except for Leon. But he was just as goodhearted as their King.

  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  


Arthur took good care of his friend long into the night, until he fell asleep from exhaustion and worry. Elyan, who was standing guard at the moment, made sure to give the boy a little bit of water once in a while, until morning came and it was time to wake everyone up.

 

They made haste in packing down the camp. They ate a bit of bread and cheese they had brought with them, and readied their horses. It would be a long day of travel, and arthur was hoping they would reach Camelot by nightfall. 

 

The extra horse was tied to Percival’s mount, and Merlin was hoisted up in front of Arthur. They had decided the best way to get him home would be if he rode double with one of them, instead of putting him on the extra horse. It would have aggravated his wounds too much. 

 

For Arthur, the trip seemed to take forever. He checked his friend over and over again, making sure he was still breathing, and that his wounds were properly covered. As well as he could atop a horse, that is. He gave him water, and the boy seemed to be coming in and out of consciousness throughout the trip. Not enough to be coherent, but enough to swallow the water himself, and slightly move about. 

 

Now that they didn’t search the area or any ruins along the way, they made good time back to the city. 

 

When they’d gotten over halfway to Camelot, Arthur decided to move himself and Merlin over to the extra horse so his own mount could get a break. He’d ridden her as long as he dared, because he knew the other horse wasn’t as strong as his own. 

 

They took a small break to feed and water the horses before Arthur got up on the new horse and had Merlin brought up to after him. 

 

As night fell, they were still riding. They had reached a road they had traveled often enough to be able to slowly ride down it by night. They had decided they were too close to Camelot to set up a camp, and they knew Merlin needed Gaius as soon as possible. 

 

The guards were surprised to see their King and his knights arriving at the gate in the middle of the night, and hurriedly opened up to let them through. 

 

Elyan made haste to wake Gaius and let him know Merlin was coming in.

 

Leon, Lancelot and Percival made sure the horses would be taken care of, while Arthur and Gwaine brought Merlin to the physician. 

 

The man had a mask of calm on his face when they arrived, but they could clearly see the worry in his eyes.  

 

The table had been cleared for them to lay Merlin on. It was easier for the old man to care for his patients on the table since it was higher up than the cot was. He pulled disinfectant and other remedies from his shelf and went to work at once. He guessed easily enough why the blindfold was in place, seeing the expensive fabric from the King’s clothing, and felt warm in his chest from the knowledge that Arthur had paid attention to his work. 

 

He washed the wound on the side of Merlin’s head and dabbed a poultice on it before bandaging it properly. He moved on to the boy’s torso, and had Arthur help him remove the tunic. He found Merlin’s chest to be bound, and he carefully checked his chest and nodded approvingly at the binds. It had been done properly, so he was able to move on to the next damage. 

 

To say he was surprised at the poisoned looking burns on Merlin’s wrist, would be a lie. He acted surprised for the sake of appearances, but he knew Merlin would have had to be contained with iron should anyone have any hope of keeping him away from his King. What made him different from other sorcerers was the fact that iron was practically poison to him. He could hold it, and use it daily without any problem, but should he be shackled with it, or have it pierce his skin, then he would be in trouble. He wasn’t allergic to the metal or any such thing. No, the metal was fairly harmless really. The problem was that his magic reacted so badly to it. 

 

There wasn’t much to be done other than care for the burns. The magic would eventually calm itself again, and it had already started working on Merlin’s wounds. 

 

Merlin would be alright. 

 

Gaius looked up after finishing with the poultice on the last of the small bites. The knights were staring at him, carefully pressed to the walls, making sure they were not in his way as he worked. They had learned in the last years. Gaius almost chuckled at the thought. 

 

“He will be just fine after a good long rest, and with proper nourishments,” Gaius smiled at them. The worry dissipating slightly. 

 

The knights let out a collective breath of relief, and they almost sat down right there and then. Gaius however, ushered them all out. All except for the King, who refused. 

 

“Well, then you can help me bring him to his bed,” Gaius commented. He’d already known Arthur would refuse to leave. 

 

Gaius made sure the window in Merlin’s room was covered properly, to shut the light out when morning came. The light that would come through the door would be enough to begin with. 

He removed the blindfold, and made sure his boy was comfortable. He glanced Arthur’s way and noted that the young King had made himself comfortable in a chair by the bed. 

 

The old man smiled at this, and knew the kingdom was in good hands even if the King was a little distracted at the moment. He patted Arthur’s shoulder as he passed, and closed the door behind him, leaving the two boys alone.

  
  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  
  


That was strange. He’d thought he would never wake up again. Had he died? No. The discomfort he was feeling could not be how death felt like. He would fight the gods if it was. Death was supposed to be rest for the weary. 

 

After registering the discomfort and ache in his body, he realised he was not lying on stone anymore. There was something soft, or, rather, softer, underneath him. He tried to sense his surroundings. Was there someone else with him? Was he still in captivity? 

 

He heard another set of breathing besides his own, and thought he could hear someone bustling about further off. Then, the smell hit him. It was eerily familiar, though he had problems placing it. It was an onslaught of herbs. Gaius. Was he really home? Or was this just some random healer’s home?

 

He tried to move, but it sent a spark of pain through his head, and he decided it was better to just stay still. He’d let out a gasp at the pain, but the other person in the room had not woken up at the sound. He didn’t know if he should be saddened or relieved. 

 

He hadn’t realised his eyes were still closed until he opened them by accident. He’d truly believed he’d gone blind after his attack, but the bight intruding light that suddenly assaulted his senses told him otherwise. He let out a strangled bit off yell as the pain in his head spiked at the sudden light. 

 

The person beside him must have fallen to the floor in shock at the sound, judging by the hard thump. 

 

Merlin pressed his hands to his eyes to keep the light out, but his head still throbbed. His breath was erratic and he was desperately trying to calm himself.

 

“Merlin?” That voice was so painfully familiar, and so dearly needed, Merlin felt like his breath was taken from him. “Merlin,” a hand followed the breath of his name, settling on his shoulder. Merlin’s breath hitched at the touch.

 

The hand sneaked slowly around his back, and he was gently lifted slightly, before something was pressed to his lips. 

 

“You should drink this,” Arthur told him. He usually didn’t follow the King’s orders, but this one was very inviting, and so he opened his mouth to let the liquid flow inside him. 

 

He regretted it the instant the taste hit his senses.

 

After some squirming and grimacing, he hurriedly swallowed the vile potion. He knew it would be something that would do him good. Then, another cup was pressed to his lips, and this time it was amazingly soothing cold water that trickled down his throat. 

 

He sighed as the cup was removed from him, and felt himself being lowered back to the mattress. 

 

Before Arthur could remove his hand, Merlin shot up to grab it and hold it close. 

 

After a moment’s hesitation, he felt the king shift. Then, he was lifted once more, and when he was settled, he was leaning against the King’s chest. He was surprised at first. Arthur usually didn’t initiate contact like this. They had occasionally touched each other in ways that was decidedly more than friendship, and they had been close to kissing a few times over the past years. But  they had never… cuddled. Or gotten any closer than ‘almost’. 

 

Merlin turned over and curled up into Arthur. The King tensed at first, but then relaxed as Merlin curled his fingers into his shirt. He bent his head to rest his cheek against Merlin’s forehead. Merlin let out a stuttering breath, almost as if he was close to tears. 

 

“Open your eyes, slowly,” Arthur instructed. Merlin needed to get used to the light again. There really wasn’t much light in the room. To his eyes at least. To Merlin though… He knew it would be a shock to his system. Merlin’s breath hitched again, as he followed Arthur’s request.

 

The light was still bright to his eyes, but after blinking and adjusting, he managed to keep his eyes open either way. He knew now, that he had not gone blind, but rather had been held in a complete darkness. And he knew he had to get used to the light again. 

 

“Arthur,” he sighed. He had to get it out there. To know he was truly home, and not just in some twisted illusion. Arthur’s arms tightened slightly around him, and he brushed his lips over his forehead. 

 

To think they’d almost lost this. 

 

Merlin felt tears gather in his eyes, and his breath hitched again. Arthur sensed his distress, and started rubbing him gently.

 

“Shhh… Everything’s alright. I’ve got you,” The King whispered. 

 

Merlin sniffled a bit.

 

The trauma had caught up to him, and the relief of being home, of being safe, in Arthur’s arms was too much. 

 

He cried against Arthur’s neck, while the King held him close, muttering assurances in his ear, littering him with soft, hesitant kisses. 

 

They would be okay.  

**Author's Note:**

> Illustrations post on tumblr: http://karoviesart.tumblr.com/post/144695612391/illustrations-for-white-roses-a-fanfiction-i  
> Book pictures on tumblr: http://karoviesart.tumblr.com/post/144696063551/i-made-this-as-a-bithday-gift-for-the-amazing


End file.
